Henry vi part 2, p.11
Henry VI, Part 2,
p.11
80
Shall find their deaths, if York can prophesy.
81
SALISBURY
My lord, break we off. We know your mind at full.
82
WARWICK
My heart assures me that the Earl of Warwick
83
Shall one day make the Duke of York a king.
84
YORK
And, Neville, this I do assure myself:
85
Richard shall live to make the Earl of Warwick
86
The greatest man in England but the King.
87
They exit.
Sound trumpets. Enter King
<(Queen Margaret, Gloucester, York, Salisbury, Suffolk,
and Others)> with Guard, to banish the Duchess
Gloucester, who is accompanied by Margery Jourdain,
Southwell, Hume, and Bolingbroke, all guarded.>
KING HENRY
Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloucester’s
1
wife.
2
In sight of God and us, your guilt is great.
3
Receive the sentence of the law for
4
Such as by God’s book are adjudged to death.
5
You four, from hence to prison back again;
6
From thence unto the place of execution:
7
The witch in Smithfield shall be burnt to ashes,
8
And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.
9
10
born,
11
Despoilèd of your honor in your life,
12
Shall, after three days’ open penance done,
13
Live in your country here in banishment
14
With Sir John Stanley in the Isle of Man.
15
DUCHESS
Welcome is banishment. Welcome were my death.
16
GLOUCESTER
Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged thee.
17
I cannot justify whom the law condemns.
18
Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
19
Ah, Humphrey, this dishonor in thine age
20
Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground.—
21
I beseech your Majesty give me leave to go;
22
Sorrow would solace, and mine age would ease.
23
KING HENRY
Stay, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. Ere thou go,
24
Give up thy staff. Henry will to himself
25
Protector be; and God shall be my hope,
26
My stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet.
27
And go in peace, Humphrey, no less beloved
28
Than when thou wert Protector to thy king.
29
QUEEN MARGARET
I see no reason why a king of years
30
Should be to be protected like a child.
31
God and King Henry govern England’s realm!—
32
Give up your staff, sir, and the King his realm.
33
GLOUCESTER
My staff?—Here, noble Henry, is my staff.
34
As willingly do I the same resign
35
As e’er thy father Henry made it mine;
36
And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it
37
As others would ambitiously receive it.
38
Farewell, good king. When I am dead and gone,
39
May honorable peace attend thy throne.
40
Gloucester exits.
QUEEN MARGARET
Why, now is Henry king and Margaret queen,
41
And Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, scarce himself,
42
That bears so shrewd a maim. Two pulls at once:
43
His lady banished and a limb lopped off.
44
This staff of honor raught, there let it stand
45
Where it best fits to be, in Henry’s hand.
46
SUFFOLK
Thus droops this lofty pine and hangs his sprays;
47
Thus Eleanor’s pride dies in her youngest days.
48
YORK
Lords, let him go.—Please it your Majesty,
49
This is the day appointed for the combat,
50
And ready are the appellant and defendant—
51
The armorer and his man—to enter the lists,
52
So please your Highness to behold the fight.
53
QUEEN MARGARET
Ay, good my lord, for purposely therefor
54
Left I the court to see this quarrel tried.
55
KING HENRY
I’ God’s name, see the lists and all things fit.
56
Here let them end it, and God defend the right!
57
YORK
I never saw a fellow worse bestead
58
Or more afraid to fight than is the appellant,
59
The servant of this armorer, my lords.
60
Enter at one door the Armorer
Neighbors, drinking to him so much that he is drunk;
and he enters with a Drum before him and his staff with
a sandbag fastened to it; and at the other door his man
drinking to him.
FIRST NEIGHBOR Here, neighbor Horner, I drink to you
61
in a cup of sack; and fear not, neighbor, you shall
62
do well enough.
63
SECOND NEIGHBOR And here, neighbor, here’s a cup of
64
charneco.
65
THIRD NEIGHBOR And here’s a pot of good double beer,
66
neighbor. Drink, and fear not your man.
67
HORNER Let it come, i’ faith, and I’ll pledge you all.
68
And a fig for Peter!
69
FIRST PRENTICE Here, Peter, I drink to thee, and be not
70
afraid.
71
SECOND PRENTICE Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy
72
master. Fight for credit of the prentices.
73
PETER I thank you all. Drink, and pray for me, I pray
74
you, for I think I have taken my last draft in this
75
world. Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee my
76
apron.—And, Will, thou shalt have my hammer.—
77
And here, Tom, take all the money that I have.
78
distributes his possessions.> O Lord, bless me, I
79
pray God, for I am never able to deal with my
80
master. He hath learnt so much fence already.
81
SALISBURY Come, leave your drinking, and fall to
82
blows. Sirrah, what’s thy name?
83
PETER Peter, forsooth.
84
SALISBURY Peter? What more?
85
PETER Thump.
86
SALISBURY Thump? Then see thou thump thy master
87
well.
88
HORNER Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon
89
my man’s instigation, to prove him a knave and
90
myself an honest man; and touching the Duke of
91
York, I will take my death I never meant him any
92
ill, nor the King, nor the Queen.—And therefore,
93
Peter, have at thee with a downright blow!
94
YORK Dispatch. This knave’s tongue begins to double.
95
Sound, trumpets. Alarum to the combatants!
96
They fight, and Peter strikes him down.
HORNER Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess treason.
97
YORK Take away his weapon.—Fellow, thank God and
98
the good wine in thy master’s way.
99
PETER O God, have I overcome mine enemies in this
100
presence? O Peter, thou hast prevailed in right!
101
KING HENRY
Go, take hence that traitor from our sight;
102
For by his death we do perceive his guilt.
103
And God in justice hath revealed to us
104
The truth and innocence of this poor fellow,
105
Which he had thought to have murdered
106
wrongfully.—
107
Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward.
108
Sound a flourish. They exit,
Enter Duke Humphrey
in mourning cloaks.
GLOUCESTER
Thus sometimes hath the brightest day a cloud,
1
And after summer evermore succeeds
2
Barren winter, with his wrathful nipping cold;
3
So cares and joys abound, as seasons fleet.
4
Sirs, what’s o’clock?
5
SERVANT Ten, my lord.
6
GLOUCESTER
Ten is the hour that was appointed me
7
To watch the coming of my punished duchess.
8
Uneath may she endure the flinty streets,
9
To tread them with her tender-feeling feet.
10
Sweet Nell, ill can thy noble mind abrook
11
The abject people gazing on thy face
12
With envious looks laughing at thy shame,
13
That erst did follow thy proud chariot wheels
14
When thou didst ride in triumph through the streets.
15
But, soft! I think she comes, and I’ll prepare
16
My tearstained eyes to see her miseries.
17
Enter the Duchess
white sheet,
taper burning in her hand, with
the Sheriff, and Officers.
SERVANT
So please your Grace, we’ll take her from the Sheriff.
18
GLOUCESTER
No, stir not for your lives. Let her pass by.
19
DUCHESS
Come you, my lord, to see my open shame?
20
Now thou dost penance too. Look how they gaze!
21
See how the giddy multitude do point,
22
And nod their heads, and throw their eyes on thee.
23
Ah, Gloucester, hide thee from their hateful looks,
24
And, in thy closet pent up, rue my shame,
25
And ban thine enemies, both mine and thine.
26
GLOUCESTER
Be patient, gentle Nell. Forget this grief.
27
DUCHESS
Ah, Gloucester, teach me to forget myself!
28
For whilst I think I am thy married wife
29
And thou a prince, Protector of this land,
30
Methinks I should not thus be led along,
31
Mailed up in shame, with papers on my back,
32
And followed with a rabble that rejoice
33
To see my tears and hear my deep-fet groans.
34
The ruthless flint doth cut my tender feet,
35
And when I start, the envious people laugh
36
And bid me be advisèd how I tread.
37
Ah, Humphrey, can I bear this shameful yoke?
38
Trowest thou that e’er I’ll look upon the world
39
Or count them happy that enjoys the sun?
40
No, dark shall be my light, and night my day.
41
To think upon my pomp shall be my hell.
42
Sometimes I’ll say I am Duke Humphrey’s wife
43
And he a prince and ruler of the land;
44
Yet so he ruled and such a prince he was
45
As he stood by whilst I, his forlorn duchess,
46
Was made a wonder and a pointing-stock
47
To every idle rascal follower.
48
But be thou mild, and blush not at my shame,
49
Nor stir at nothing till the ax of death
50
Hang over thee, as, sure, it shortly will.
51
For Suffolk, he that can do all in all
52
With her that hateth thee and hates us all,
53
And York and impious Beaufort, that false priest,
54
Have all limed bushes to betray thy wings;
55
And fly thou how thou canst, they’ll tangle thee.
56
But fear not thou until thy foot be snared,
57
Nor never seek prevention of thy foes.
58
GLOUCESTER
Ah, Nell, forbear. Thou aimest all awry.
59
I must offend before I be attainted;
60
And had I twenty times so many foes,
61
And each of them had twenty times their power,
62
All these could not procure me any scathe
63
So long as I am loyal, true, and crimeless.
64
Wouldst have me rescue thee from this reproach?
65
Why, yet thy scandal were not wiped away,
66
But I in danger for the breach of law.
67
Thy greatest help is quiet, gentle Nell.
